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...The notion that the virus could be used to improve human health is therefore an unexpected one. Nevertheless, this is the remarkable idea that is being pursued by Mary Collins, professor of immunology at University College London. She is leading a group of scientists who are devising ways to turn HIV's lethal properties on their head and to harness the virus so that it can be used to treat a range of diseases...

What we are doing is exploiting the ability of HIV – disabled so that it lacks mechanisms to replicate – to home in on the body's T-cells. We can then fit out the virus with proteins that belong to another virus, for example influenza.

The disabled HIV vaccine, carrying the flu proteins, will go straight to activate the body's T-cells. When T-cells come across pieces of foreign protein in our bodies, they stimulate several different types of attack against these invaders. Defence cells called killer T-cells are let loose. So, by using HIV, we have a mechanism for controlling the behaviour of T-cells and for directing our defences against diseases that we are particularly keen to protect people from.

I do have other goals. I think HIV could be used not just as a standard vaccine that prevents infections but as a therapeutic vaccine that treats people after they have become infected – individuals with diseases like hepatitis B and C, for example.

I do have other goals. I think HIV could be used not just as a standard vaccine that prevents infections but as a therapeutic vaccine that treats people after they have become infected – individuals with diseases like hepatitis B and C, for example.

I wonder of it can be used as a therapeutic vaccine to treat HIV.

At the end of the article:

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And, of course, there is the ultimate goal of using the virus as a therapeutic vaccine against HIV itself. Instead of putting flu virus proteins into your vaccine you will actually put back a few pieces of the original HIV virus proteins. You will have created a vaccine that could be used to treat Aids. Essentially, we are trying to tame this virus and turn it on itself. There is something very satisfying in that thought.

The reason I think it's interesting is that HIV seems to be the only agent that's able to penetrate those long lived reservoirs. So maybe, theoretically, it can be disabled and programmed to go in there and kill it's brethren.

Or using it with gene therapy, have it go in there and alter a gene (CCR5, for example) the way they've done successfully in the treatment of SCID.

It surprises me that HIV itself isn't being used in any of the gene therapy trials. Maybe I'll email this piece to Paula Cannon and put a bug in her ear.